There is lots of "leadership" materials in the Project Management domain. Books, seminars, web sites, Blogs. I'm not enthusiastic about most of them. They restate the obvious, regurgitate tried and true concepts and sometimes just hackneyed phrases.
Here's some thing I came across while on the road. I've been on the road nearly every week since September working a Performance Measurement Baseline, that will come to an end in early January with the IBR.
Welch has "Four E's for Leadership"
- Energy - someone with more than enough energy to lead. Individuals with energy love to "go, go, go." These people possess boundless energy and get up every day ready to attack the job at hand. High energy people move at 95 miles-per-hour in a 55 mile-per-hour world.
Project managers must be high levels of energy. This is obvious. But it means project managers must be able to sustain that energy across all sorts of situations. Tendious cost meetings, all night design sessions, endless trips to the field to see the work being performed. Not high energy in the sense of excitement. But energy to stay with the problem until it's done.
- Energizing - someone who can energize others to follow. know how to spark others to perform. They outline a vision and get people to carry it out. Energizers know how to get people excited about a cause or a crusade. They are selfless in giving others the credit when things go right, but quick to accept responsibility when things go awry.
Project managers must be able to energize others. Not the ra ra stuff we see in seminars, but to have others "follow" their lead. Other must be able to see the same end point of the project manager. Or at least have some vision of what "done" looks like to sustain their own energy.
- Edge - someone who can say yes or no decisively. Those with edge are competitive types. They know how to make the really difficult decisions, such as hiring, firing and promoting, never allowing the degree of difficulty to stand in their way.
There is nothing that kills energy than someone who can't decide what to do, given the right information and sufficient time to make the decision. This is a Three Bears problem. No too fast. Not too slow. Just right. Just right is domain and context sensitive. But good project managers know what "just right" looks like.
- Execution - it's always about execution. The key to the entire model. Without measurable results, the other "E's" are of little use. Executers recognize that activity and productivity are not the same and are capable of converting energy and edge into action and results.
It's always execution. Flawless execution. Execution that is done at the right time, for the right reasons, with the right results. Doesn't mean there aren't mistakes. But mistakes must be corrected immediately using Energy, Energized staff, with Edge.
Forget all that "touchy feely" stuff. It's useful but it is subordinate to these 4 attributes. Energy, Energizing, Edge, and Execution are all about "getting thing done." Getting things done involves people and people must be dealt with in ways that allow them to "get things done."
But without a deep understanding that projects are about getting things done. The right things. On-Time, On-Budget, and meeting the buyers needs kind of "done." All that touchy feely stuff being talked about at PMI symposiums is pretty much worthless without getting to "done."
